Huskies 2013 preview: The defense

August 30, 2013

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

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On Saturday, the Washington Huskies kick off Steve Sarkisian’s fifth season as head coach, christening newly renovated Husky Stadium against the No. 19 Boise State Broncos. It’s a big way to start off a big season on Montlake.
After three-straight 7-6 seasons, it’s important to remember how far the Huskies have come since the disastrous 0-12 2008 season. Sarkisian’s certainly done a nice job of restocking a depleted roster and improving the national perception of the program.
But that’s not enough anymore.
His team is finally talented and experienced enough to make a major move in the Pac-12 North, even against stacked Oregon and Stanford squads. If they don’t – and especially if they repeat last year’s disastrous performance in the Apple Cup – Coach Sark will find himself firmly on the hot seat.
Today, we take a look at the Huskies' defense, which made huge leaps in coordinator Justin Wilcox’s first year at the helm, jumping from No. 106 to 31 in total defense and No. 108 to 39 in scoring defense.
Click through the gallery for our analysis of each position group. (Note: We’ll be using Washington’s official depth chart to determine player positions.)

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

1of8

On Saturday, the Washington Huskies kick off Steve Sarkisian’s fifth season as head coach, christening newly renovated Husky Stadium against the No. 19 Boise State Broncos. It’s a big way to start off a big season on Montlake.
After three-straight 7-6 seasons, it’s important to remember how far the Huskies have come since the disastrous 0-12 2008 season. Sarkisian’s certainly done a nice job of restocking a depleted roster and improving the national perception of the program.
But that’s not enough anymore.
His team is finally talented and experienced enough to make a major move in the Pac-12 North, even against stacked Oregon and Stanford squads. If they don’t – and especially if they repeat last year’s disastrous performance in the Apple Cup – Coach Sark will find himself firmly on the hot seat.
Today, we take a look at the Huskies' defense, which made huge leaps in coordinator Justin Wilcox’s first year at the helm, jumping from No. 106 to 31 in total defense and No. 108 to 39 in scoring defense.
Click through the gallery for our analysis of each position group. (Note: We’ll be using Washington’s official depth chart to determine player positions.)